Internal opening and closing system for v-rakes

ABSTRACT

A bifold rake includes a rear trolley to which a pair of rake arms are pivotably mounted, and a drawbar extending forwardly from the rear trolley. An opening and closing mechanism includes front and rear operating arms located on each side of the drawbar and pivotably interconnected with each other and with one of the rake arms. The inner end of each operating arm is pivotably interconnected with a slidable arrangement associated with the drawbar, which may be a sleeve slidably mounted to the drawbar for axial movement, or a telescoping section of the drawbar that is capable of moving inwardly and outwardly relative to a receiver section of the drawbar. An extendible and retractable actuator assembly is interconnected with the drawbar and at least one of the slidable arrangements for moving the front and rear arms together and apart to move the rake arms between open and closed positions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/279,267, filed Mar. 28, 2001.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a bifold or V-type rake for forming cut cropmaterial into a windrow, and more particularly to an internal openingand closing system and a splitter wheel arrangement for use in a rake ofthis type.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a bifold or V-type rakeincludes a rear wheeled trolley adapted for movement along the ground,and a drawbar that extends forwardly from the rear trolley forconnection to a towing vehicle such as a tractor or the like. A pair ofrake arms extend forwardly from opposite sides of the trolley, and eachrake arm is pivotably interconnected with the trolley for movementbetween an open, operative position and a closed, inoperative positionfor transport or storage. Each rake arm may include one or moreground-engaging wheels for supporting the rake arm forwardly of itspivotable interconnection with the trolley. Each rake arm includes aseries of rake members, which may be in the form of rotatable fingerwheel rakes, each of which is movable between an inoperative, raisedposition and a lowered, operative position in which the rake members arein engagement with the ground. An opening and closing mechanism isinterconnected between the drawbar and each rake arm, for moving therake arms between their operative, open positions and inoperative,closed positions.

The opening and closing mechanism includes a pair of rear operating armslocated one on each side of the drawbar, as well as a pair of frontoperating arms located one on each side of the drawbar. Each rearoperating arm defines an outer end that is pivotably interconnected withan outer end defined by the front operating arm located on the same sideof the drawbar. An actuator arm extends outwardly from the pivotableinterconnection of each set of front and rear arms, and is engaged atits outer end with the rake arm.

Each of the front and rear operating arms defines an inner end, each ofwhich is pivotably mounted to a slidably movable arrangement that isguided for movement along an axis coincident with or parallel to alongitudinal axis defined by the drawbar. In one form, one or both ofthe slidably movable arrangements may be in the form of a sleeve orslider member that is slidably mounted to and guided on the drawbar. Inanother form, one or both of the slidably movable arrangements may be inthe form of a telescoping portion of the drawbar. An extendible andretractable actuator assembly is interconnected between the drawbar andone of the slidably movable arrangements, for selectively impartingaxial movement to one of the slidably movable arrangements relative tothe drawbar. In one form, the rear operating arms are pivotablyinterconnected with a rear sleeve that is axially movable on a rearportion of the drawbar in response to operation of the extendible andretractable actuator assembly. The front operating arms are pivotablyinterconnected with a telescoping forward section of the drawbar, whichis telescopingly movable from a forward end of the portion of thedrawbar to which the extendible and retractable actuator assembly issecured. In this arrangement, retraction of the actuator assemblyfunctions to move the sleeve forwardly on the drawbar, to pivot the rearoperating arms outwardly and to cause the front operating arms to bedrawn outwardly and the telescoping portion of the drawbar to be movedinwardly. This outward movement of the joint between each rear operatingarm and front operating arm is operable to push the rake arm outwardlythrough the actuator arm, to attain the open position of the rake.Likewise, extension of the actuator assembly moves the sleeve rearwardlyon the drawbar, to pivot the rear operating arms inwardly and to causethe front operating arms to be drawn inwardly and the telescopingportion of the drawbar to be moved outwardly. This inward movement ofthe joint between each rear operating arm and front operating arm causesthe actuator arm to draw the associated rake arm inwardly to attain theinoperative, closed position of the rake.

In another embodiment, the telescoping construction of the drawbar iseliminated, and each set of rear and front operating arms is pivotablyinterconnected with a sleeve or slider member which is guided formovement along an axis coincident with or parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the drawbar. This embodiment functions similarly, in thatretraction of the actuator assembly moves the rear inner ends of therear and front operating arms together by movement of the sleeves orslider members toward each other on the drawbar, to move the jointsbetween the rear and front operating arms outwardly to open the rakearms. Conversely, extension of the actuator assembly moves the innerends of the rear and front operating arms apart by movement of thesleeves away from each other on the drawbar, to draw the joints betweenthe rear and front operating arms inwardly to close the rake arms.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a splitter wheeldrawbar mechanism is adapted for interconnection with a drawbar forinterconnecting a bifold or V-type rake with a tow vehicle such as atractor. The splitter wheel drawbar mechanism includes a front drawbarsection adapted for releasable engagement with the tow vehicle hitch,and a rear drawbar section that extends rearwardly and is interconnectedwith the trolley of the rake. The splitter wheel drawbar mechanismincludes a pair of splitter rake members, such as rake wheels, which areoriented at an angle to each other so as to direct crop material inopposite directions as the rake is moved on the ground. Each rake memberis movable between an inoperative, raised position and an operative,lowered position. In a preferred form, the splitter wheel drawbarmechanism includes a series of angularly offset drawbar sections thatare interconnected together between the front and rear sections of thesplitter wheel drawbar mechanism, and each splitter rake member issupported by one of the angularly offset drawbar sections in apredetermined angular relationship therewith, such that the offsetnature of the drawbar sections functions to orient the splitter rakemembers opposite each other. The splitter wheel drawbar assembly furtherincludes a lifting and lower arrangement for moving the splitter rakemembers between their inoperative, raised position and operative,lowered position.

While both aspects of the present invention can be incorporated togetherinto a bifold or V-type rake to enhance operation, it is understood thatthe aspects of the invention may be utilized separately from each otheror in combination with other rake features, and that each functions toenhance rake operation on its own.

Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will bemade apparent from the following description taken together with thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carryingout the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a bifold or V-rake incorporating theinternal opening and closing mechanism of the present invention, showingthe rake arms in an operative, open position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the rake of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial plan view with reference to line 4—4 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the rake arms in aninoperative, closed position for transport or storage;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 2, showing the rake arms inthe inoperative, closed position of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 1, showing an alternativeembodiment of an opening and closing mechanism for a bifold or V-rake inaccordance with the present invention, showing the rake arms in anoperative open position;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the rake of FIG. 7, showing the rake armsin the operative open position;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, showing the rake arms in aninoperative, closed position;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial top plan view, with reference to line10—10 of FIG. 6, showing the splitter wheel drawbar mechanism inaccordance with the present invention incorporated into the bifold orV-rake;

FIG. 11 is a partial isometric view showing the splitter wheel drawbarmechanism of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the splitter wheel drawbar mechanismof FIGS. 10 and 11, showing the splitter rake members in an inoperative,raised position; and

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12, showing the splitter rake membersin an operative, lowered position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a bifold or V-rake 20 includes a reartrolley or frame assembly 22 having a transverse rear frame member 24and a pair of wheels 26 rotatably mounted to a pair of depending legs25, each of which extends downwardly from one of the ends of framemember 24. A pair of rake arm assemblies 28 are pivotably mounted one toeach leg 25 of rear frame assembly 22. Each rake arm assembly 28includes a rake arm 30 to which a series of rake members, in the form offinger wheel rakes 32, are mounted. Finger wheel rakes 32 are mounted toeach rake arm 30 via pivot arms 33 in a conventional manner. Each rakearm assembly 28 includes a conventional lifting and lowering mechanismfor moving rake wheels 32 between a raised position for transport and alowered position for engagement with the ground. Each rake arm 30 mayhave a front wheel 34 at its forward end, as well as an intermediatewheel 36 located approximately midway between the forward and rearwardends of rake arm 30.

In a manner as is known, each rake arm 30 is pivotably mounted to one oflegs 25 via a rake arm mounting bracket assembly 38, for providingpivoting movement of each rake arm 30 about a vertical pivot axisbetween open and closed positions. Each rake arm mounting bracketassembly 38 is mounted to one of legs 25 toward its lower end.

A drawbar assembly 44 extends forwardly from rear frame assembly 22.Drawbar assembly 44 includes a fixed rear section 46 and a sliding ortelescoping forward section 48. Rear drawbar section 46 is fixed at itsrearward end to a drawbar mounting bracket assembly 50 mounted to rearframe member 24. Rear drawbar section 46 is preferably in the form of anelongated tubular member which may be rectangular in cross-section andwhich defines an internal passage, although it is understood that anyother satisfactory shape or configuration may be employed.

Forward drawbar section 48 is mounted for sliding movement within theinternal passage of rear drawbar section 46. Forward drawbar section 48also is preferably in the form of an elongated tubular member, having across-section which enables forward drawbar section 48 to fit within theinternal passage of rear drawbar section 46. A series of flat nylonbearings 52 (FIG. 3) are mounted within the internal passage of reardrawbar section 46, and cooperate to slidably engage the externalsurfaces of forward drawbar section 48, such that forward drawbarsection 48 is slidably received within the passage defined by reardrawbar section 46. In this manner, forward drawbar section 48 isslidably movable in a telescoping manner relative to rear drawbarsection 46, along coincident longitudinal axes defined by rear andforward draw bar sections 46, 48, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the forward end of forward drawbar section 48includes a downwardly extending angled member 56 which extends betweenthe front of an upper portion defined by forward drawbar section 48 andthe rear end of a lower mounting section 58. A ground wheel 60 ismounted to mounting section 58, for supporting the front end of drawbarassembly 44.

A front splitter wheel drawbar assembly 62 is located forwardly ofmounting section 58. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 10, splitter wheel drawbarassembly 62 includes a front section 64 having a pair of hitch engagingplates 65 at its forward end, and a rear section 66 pivotably engagedwith mounting section 58 via a transverse pin 68. Rear section 66 islocated between a pair of side plates 69, secured to mounting section 58and extending forwardly therefrom, and pin 68 extends through alignedopenings in side plates 69 and a transverse passage associated with rearsection 66, such that pin 68 defines a transverse pivot axis betweenmounting section 58 and splitter wheel drawbar assembly 62. Frontsection 64 and rear section 66 extend along coincident longitudinalaxes, which are coincident with the longitudinal axis of mountingsection 58 and parallel to the longitudinal axes of rear and forwarddrawbar sections 46, 48, respectively.

Between front section 64 and rear section 66, splitter wheel drawbarassembly 62 includes front and rear oppositely angled offset framemembers 70, 72, respectively. An angled intermediate frame member 74extends between the rear end of front offset frame member 70 and theforward end of rear offset frame member 72. Angled intermediate framemember 74 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes offront and rear offset frame members 70, 72, respectively. A series oftriangular gusset plates reinforce the connections of frame members70-74. With this construction, splitter wheel drawbar assembly 62defines a “zigzag” configuration when viewed from the top, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 10. A forward splitter rake wheel 76 is mounted tointermediate frame member 74, and a rear splitter rake wheel 78 ismounted to rear offset frame member 72. With this arrangement, forwardsplitter rake wheel 76 and rear splitter rake wheel 78 are substantiallyperpendicular to each other, and are symmetrical about the longitudinalaxis or centerline of rake 20. Splitter rake wheels 76, 78 clear cropmaterial from the center of the path of rake 20, and direct the cropmaterial in opposite directions into the path of rake members 32 whenrake 20 is pulled along the ground.

Splitter rake wheels 76, 78 are pivotably mounted to frame members 74,76 for movement between raised and lowered positions in a similar manneras rake wheels 32 mounted to rake arms 30. As shown in FIGS. 11-13, apair of lifting and lowering cables 80, 82 are connected at one end torespective pivotable lifting and lowering arms 84, 86, which arepivotably mounted to front and rear frame members 70, 72, respectively.Forward and rear splitter rake wheels 76, 78, respectively, arerotatably mounted to the outer ends of respective lifting and loweringarms 84, 86. At the opposite end, cables 80, 82 are connected to theextendible and retractable rod of a lifting and lowering cylinderassembly 88 carried by front section 64 of splitter wheel drawbarassembly 62. Cables 80, 82 extend through a lower set of guides 90mounted to front offset frame member 70, and a pair of elevated guides92 mounted at the intersection of frame members 70 and 74 via anupstanding bar 94. From the lower one of elevated guides 92, cable 80extends downwardly for connection to arm 84, and cable 82 extends fromthe upper one of elevated guides 92 along angled intermediate framemember 74 and through a guide 96 mounted at the intersection of framemembers 72 and 74 via an upstanding bar 98. From guide 96, cable 82extends downwardly for connection to arm 86.

With the above-described arrangement, extension of the rod of cylinderassembly 88 introduces slack into cables 80, 82 to allow splitter rakewheels 76, 78 to be lowered by gravity into an operative position inengagement with the ground, as shown in FIG. 13. Retraction of the rodof cylinder assembly 88 tensions cables 80, 82 and functions to raisesplitter rake wheels 76, 78 above the ground to an inoperative transportor storage position as shown in FIG. 12.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a slider member or sleeve 102 is slidablymounted to rear drawbar section 46 at the rearward end of drawbarassembly 44. Sleeve 102 defines an internal passage within which reardrawbar section 46 is received, and is slidably movable along reardrawbar section 46. A hydraulic opening and closing cylinder assembly104 has one of its ends fixed to rear drawbar section 46 forwardly ofsleeve 102, and has the other of its ends fixed to slider member 102. Inthis manner, sleeve 102 is movable along rear drawbar section 46 inresponse to extension and retraction of the rod of cylinder assembly104.

An opening and closing mechanism 105 is interposed between drawbarassembly 44 and rake arms 30 for moving rake arms 30 between open andclosed positions in response to operation of cylinder assembly 104 andmovement of sleeve 102. Opening and closing mechanism 105 has asymmetrical, mirror image construction, and includes a pair of rearoperating arms 106, a pair of joints 108, a pair of front operating arms110 and a pair of links or actuator arms 112.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, each rear operating arm 106 has abifurcated construction and is mounted at its inner, rearward end toslider member 102 for movement about a vertical pivot axis. At itsopposite outer, forward end, each rear operating arm 106 is connected toa joint 108 for movement about a vertical pivot axis. Each frontoperating arm 110 is connected at its outer, rearward end to joint 108for movement about a vertical pivot axis, and is connected at its inner,forward end to forward drawbar section 48 for movement about a verticalpivot axis. An outwardly extending link or actuator arm 112 extends fromeach joint 108 and is connected at its outer end to one of rake arms 30for movement about a vertical pivot axis.

With reference to FIG. 4, each joint 108 is connected to its associatedrear arm 106 via a pivot pin 114 that defines a vertical axis pivotconnection between the inner end of actuator arm 112 and the outer,forward end of rear arm 106. A pivot pin 116 is connected between theouter, rearward end of each front operating arm 110 and the inner end ofits associated actuator arm 112, and defines a vertical axis pivotconnection therebetween.

In operation, rake arms 30 of rake 20 are moved between an open positionas shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a closed position as shown in FIGS. 5 and6, as follows. When rake arms 30 are closed for transport as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, the rod of cylinder assembly 104 is fully extended suchthat sleeve 102 is located in its rearwardmost position on drawbarassembly 44. In this position of sleeve 102, the outer, forward ends ofrear operating arms 106 are positioned inwardly to their fullest extenttoward drawbar assembly 44, which likewise places the outer, rearwardends of front operating arms 110 in their inwardmost position towarddrawbar assembly 44 and causes maximum outward extension of telescopingfront drawbar section 48 relative to fixed rear drawbar section 46.Actuator arms 112 are located in their full inwardmost positions, suchthat each rake arm 30 extends in a forward-rearward directionsubstantially parallel to drawbar assembly 44. If desired, a pair ofconventional retainer arms may be connected between drawbar assembly 44and rake arms 30 to maintain rake arms 30 in the closed position duringtransport. When rake arms 30 are closed in this manner, a minimum amountof overlap, shown at L1 (FIG. 6), is provided between the rearwardportion of forward drawbar section 48 and the forward portion of reardrawbar section 46.

To open rake arms 30, the rod of cylinder assembly 104 is retracted soas to draw sleeve 102 forwardly on rear drawbar section 46, whichfunctions to move the inner, rearward end of each rear operating arm 106forwardly. This functions to increase the angle between each rear arm106 and drawbar assembly 44, and to move the outer, forward end of eachrear operating arm 106 outwardly away from drawbar assembly 44, as shownin FIGS. 1 and 2. Due to the configuration of each joint 108 and theoffset relationship between pivot connections 114 and 116, this outwardmovement of the outer, forward end of each rear operating arm 106simultaneously functions to draw the outer, rearward end of each frontoperating arm 110 outwardly, and to exert a rearward force at the pivotconnection between forward drawbar section 48 and the inner end of eachfront operating arm 110. This causes rearward movement of forwarddrawbar section 48 within rear drawbar section 46, to retract ortelescope forward drawbar section 48 into the internal passage definedby rear drawbar section 46. This rearward movement of forward drawbarsection 48 enables outward movement of the outer, rearward ends of frontoperating arms 110. In addition, the outward movement of the outer,forward end of each rear operating arm 106 causes each actuator arm 112to pivot outwardly due to the configuration of joint 108, such that thecombined movement of actuator arms 112 and rear and front operating arms106, 110, respectively, functions to apply an outward force to each rakearm 30 through actuator arm 112 to pivot each rake arm 30 about thepivot connection of rake arm 30 to bracket assembly 38.

When cylinder assembly 104 is fully retracted so as to place rake arms30 in their open position, forward drawbar section 48 is retracted intothe internal passage of rear drawbar section 46 to attain a maximumamount of overlap as shown at L2 (FIG. 2), which reduces the overalllength of drawbar assembly 44. This shortening of drawbar assembly 44functions to make rake 20 somewhat easier to handle and maneuver whenbeing pulled in a field behind a tractor or the like so as to rake cutcrop material.

In an alternative construction as shown in FIGS. 7-9 wherein likereference characters are used to denote like parts and primed referencecharacters are used to denote modified parts, rake 20′ includes adrawbar assembly 44′ including a primary fixed-length drawbar member118, which may be in the form of a series of drawbar sections fixedtogether in an end-to-end relationship so as to define a fixed length. Adownwardly angled member 56 extends from the front end of drawbar member118 for connection to the hitch of the tow vehicle, which may be bymeans of splitter wheel rake assembly 62. Sleeve 102 is slidably mountedtoward the rearward end of drawbar member 118, and rear operating arms106 are pivotably mounted to rear sleeve 102 in the same manner asdiscussed previously. At its forward end, each rear operating arm 106 isconnected to one of joints 108 as described above, and actuator arms 112extend outwardly from joints 108. Each actuator arm 112 is pivotablyconnected at its outer end to one of rake arms 30. Front operating arms110 extend forwardly from joints 108, and each joint 108 has the sameconstruction as described above. At its forward end, each frontoperating arm 110 is pivotably connected to a front slider member orsleeve 124 which is slidable relative to drawbar member 118 in the samemanner as rear sleeve 102. Actuating cylinder assembly 104 is fixed atone end to drawbar member 118, and at its opposite end is mounted torear sleeve 102.

With the alternative construction as shown and described, rake 20′ ismoved from its closed position of FIG. 9, in which rake arms 30 extendsubstantially parallel to drawbar member 118, to its open position ofFIGS. 7 and 8 by retracting the rod of cylinder assembly 104. Suchmovement of the rod of cylinder assembly 104 draws rear sleeve 102forwardly on drawbar member 118 to move the outer ends of rear operatingarms 106 outwardly and to draw the inner ends of front operating arms110 rearwardly. In this version, such rearward movement of the innerends of front operating arms 110 draws front sleeve 120 rearwardly ondrawbar member 118. In contrast to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6, thelength of drawbar member 118 in the embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 remainsconstant and sleeves 102, 124 move toward and away from each other ondrawbar member 118. Actuator arms 112 function in the same manner asdescribed above to push rake arms 30 outwardly and to cause pivotingmovement about bracket assemblies 38, to place rake 20′ in the openposition of FIGS. 7 and 8. Subsequent extension of the rod of cylinderassembly 104 moves rear sleeve 102 rearwardly on drawbar member 118, topull the outer ends of rear operating arms 106 and front operating arms110 inwardly. This causes forward sliding movement of front sleeve 124along drawbar member 118, and inward movement of rake arms 30 throughactuator arms 112.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to certainembodiments, numerous variations are possible and are contemplated asbeing within the scope of the present invention. For example, andwithout limitation, in the telescoping drawbar version of FIGS. 1-6, itis contemplated that operating cylinder assembly 104 may have one of itsends mounted to the extendible and retractable drawbar section formoving it inwardly and outwardly relative to the fixed drawbar section,rather than to the sleeve or slider member as shown and described.Further, it is contemplated that the sleeve or slider member could belocated at the forward end of the drawbar assembly and the telescopingdrawbar construction provided at the rearward end, with the extendiblerod of the actuator assembly being engaged with either the sleeve or thetelescoping drawbar section. It is also possible that the sleeve orslider member could be eliminated and that a dual telescoping drawbarconstruction could be provided, such that an extendible and retractabledrawbar section is located both at the forward end and the rearward endof the drawbar assembly. In this version, both the front and rearoperating arms are pivotably mounted to one of the extendible andretractable drawbar sections. This construction provides an even shorteroverall length for the drawbar assembly when the operating cylinderassembly is retracted and rake arms 30 are positioned in their operativeopen position.

In both versions, the operating device for the opening and closingmechanism is described as hydraulic cylinder assembly 104. It should beunderstood that any other type of movable operating device may beemployed, such as a linear actuator, a rodless cylinder assembly, amanual or motor-operated screw-type mechanism, or the like. Further,while the rakes mounted to rake arms 30 are illustrated as finger wheelrakes, it is understood that rake arms 30 may carry any other type ofraking devices such as basket-style rakes, tedder-type rakes, etc.

In addition, the configuration of joint 108 is representative of anynumber of three-way pivoting joint arrangements which could be employedin the opening and closing system of the present invention. Any othertypes of joint configuration could function with the present invention,so long as the joint configuration provides pivoting movement of theouter ends of rear operating arms 106 relative to front operating arms110, as well as incorporating the capability to push rakes arms 30outwardly in response to a decrease in the angle defined between eachrear operating arm 106 and its associated front operating arm 110.

It is also understood that the rake arm supporting wheels, such as 34,36, may be eliminated in rakes having a lesser number of rake wheels inwhich the rake arms can be cantilevered forwardly from the rake trolley.It is also understood that other types of ground-engaging rake armsupporting arrangements may be employed in place of the ground-engagingwheels such as 34, 36.

Further, while rake 20 has been illustrated as including front splitterwheel drawbar assembly 62, it is understood that rake 20 may be usedwithout splitter wheel drawbar assembly 62 or with a differentlyconfigured splitter-type arrangement for moving crop material sidewaysaway from the center of the rake. It is also understood that splitterwheel drawbar assembly 62 may be used in conjunction with a differenttype of rake than rake 20 having the illustrated details andconfigurations, and that splitter wheel drawbar assembly 62 may be usedin combination with any type of bifold rake having a central drawbar.

Various alternatives and embodiments are contemplated as being withinthe scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.

1. A rake assembly adapted to be towed by a tow vehicle, comprising: arear trolley arrangement defining opposite sides; a pair of rake arms,wherein each rake arm carries a series of rake members and wherein eachrake arm is pivotably interconnected with one of the sides of the reartrolley arrangement; a drawbar arrangement extending forwardly from therear trolley arrangement between the rake arms, wherein the drawbararrangement is adapted for engagement with the tow vehicle; anextendible and retractable actuator arrangement interconnected with thedrawbar arrangement; an operating mechanism interposed between thedrawbar arrangement and the rake arms, wherein the operating mechanismincludes a pair of front operating members and a pair of rear operatingmembers extending outwardly in opposite directions from the drawbararrangement, wherein each front operating member is pivotablyinterconnected with one of the rear operating members to define a set ofoperating members on each side of the drawbar, each of which isinterconnected with one of the rake arms, wherein the front operatingmember and the rear operating member of each set define outer ends thatare pivotably connected together at a joint, and further comprising; anactuator arm extending outwardly from each joint and engaged with one ofthe rake arms, wherein each actuator arm is pivotably interconnectedwith one of the front operating members and with one of the rearoperating members at the joint therebetween; a front sliding arrangementassociated with the drawbar, wherein each front operating member ispivotably interconnected with the front sliding arrangement; and a rearsliding arrangement associated with the drawbar, wherein each rearoperating member is pivotably interconnected with the rear slidingarrangement; wherein the extendible and retractable actuator arrangementis interconnected with the drawbar and one of the sliding arrangements,wherein the extendible and retractable actuator arrangement is operableto move the front and rear sliding arrangements together and apart forselectively moving the rake arms between their open and closedpositions.
 2. The rake assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of thefront and rear sliding arrangements comprises a sleeve member slidablyengageable with and movable on the drawbar arrangement.
 3. The rakeassembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the slidable arrangementscomprises a telescoping drawbar section which is axially movableinwardly and outwardly relative to a drawbar receiver section.
 4. Therake assembly of claim 3, wherein the other of the slidable arrangementscomprises a sleeve member slidably mounted to and movable on the drawbararrangement.
 5. A rake assembly adapted to be towed by a tow vehicle,comprising: a rear trolley arrangement defining opposite sides; a pairof rake arms, wherein each rake arm carries a series of rake members andwherein each rake arm is pivotably interconnected with one of the sidesof the rear trolley arrangement; a drawbar arrangement extendingforwardly from the rear trolley arrangement between the rake arms,wherein the drawbar arrangement is adapted for engagement with the towvehicle; an extendible and retractable actuator arrangementinterconnected with the drawbar arrangement; an operating mechanisminterposed between the drawbar arrangement and each rake arm, whereinthe operating mechanism includes a pair of front operating members and apair of rear operating members extending outwardly in oppositedirections from the drawbar arrangement, wherein each front operatingmember is pivotably interconnected with one of the rear operatingmembers to define a set of operating members on each side of thedrawbar, each of which is interconnected with one of the rake arms; afront slidable arrangement associated with the drawbar, wherein eachfront operating member is pivotably interconnected with the frontsliding arrangement; and a rear sliding arrangement associated with thedrawbar, wherein each rear operating member is pivotably interconnectedwith the rear sliding arrangement; wherein the extendible andretractable actuator arrangement is interconnected with the drawbar andone of the slidable arrangements, wherein the extendible and retractableactuator arrangement is operable to move the front and rear slidablearrangements together and apart for selectively moving the rake armsbetween their open and closed positions; and wherein at least one of theslidable arrangements comprises a telescoping drawbar section which isaxially movable inwardly and outwardly relative to a drawbar receiversection.
 6. The rake assembly of claim 5, wherein the other of theslidable arrangements comprises a sleeve member slidably mounted to andmovable on the drawbar arrangement.
 7. In a rake assembly including arear trolley, a drawbar extending forwardly from the rear trolley, and apair of rake arms, each of which is movably interconnected with thetrolley on one of a pair of opposite sides defined by the trolley, theimprovement comprising: a pair of rear operating members extending fromthe drawbar in opposite directions, wherein each rear operating memberdefines an inner end and an outer end; a pair of front operating membersextending from the drawbar in opposite directions, wherein each frontoperating member defines an inner end and an outer end; wherein theouter ends of the front and rear operating members on each side of thedrawbar are pivotably interconnected together; a pair of actuator arms,each of which is engaged with one of the rake arms, wherein eachactuator arm is pivotably interconnected on one of the sides of thedrawbar with the outer end of one of the rear operating members and withthe outer end of one of the front operating members; a rear slidableengagement arrangement associated with the drawbar, wherein the innerends of the rear operating members are pivotably interconnected with therear slidable engagement arrangement; a front slidable engagementarrangement associated with the drawbar, wherein the inner ends of thefront operating members are pivotably interconnected with the frontslidable engagement arrangement; and an extendible and retractableactuator arrangement interconnected with the drawbar and with one of thefront and rear slidable engagement arrangements, wherein extension ofthe extendible and retractable actuator arrangement is operable to movethe front and rear slidable engagement arrangements apart so as to movethe inner ends of the front and rear operating members apart and to movethe outer ends of the front and rear operating members inwardly, toplace the rake arms in an inoperative closed position, and whereinrefraction of the extendible and retractable actuator arrangement isoperable to move the front and rear slidable engagement arrangementstogether so as to move the inner ends of the front and rear operatingmembers together and to move the outer ends of the front and rearoperating members outwardly, to place the rake arms in an operative openposition.
 8. The improvement of claim 7, wherein one of the slidableengagement arrangements comprises a telescoping section of the drawbarthat moves inwardly and outwardly relative to a receiver portion of thedrawbar, wherein the telescoping section of the drawbar functions toshorten the overall length of the drawbar when the rake arms are in theoperative open position.
 9. The improvement of claim 8, wherein anotherof the slidable engagement arrangements comprises a slider member whichis slidably mounted to the drawbar.
 10. The improvement of claim 9,wherein the telescoping section of the drawbar comprises a forwarddrawbar portion that extends forwardly from a fixed length receiverportion which in turn is interconnected with the rear trolleyarrangement.
 11. The improvement of claim 7, wherein each of the frontand rear slidable engagement arrangements comprises a sleeve slidablymounted to and movable on the drawbar.
 12. In a rake assembly includinga rear trolley, a drawbar extending forwardly from the rear trolley, anda pair of rake arms, each of which is movably interconnected with thetrolley on one of a pair of opposite sides defined by the trolley, theimprovement comprising: a pair of rear operating members extending fromthe drawbar in opposite directions, wherein each rear operating memberdefines an inner end and an outer end; a pair of front operating membersextending from the drawbar in opposite directions, wherein each frontoperating member defines an inner end and an outer end; wherein thefront and rear operating members on each side of the drawbar arepivotably interconnected together and are engaged with one of the rakearms; a rear slidable engagement arrangement associated with thedrawbar, wherein the inner ends of the rear operating members arepivotably interconnected with the rear slidable engagement arrangement;a front slidable engagement arrangement associated with the drawbar,wherein the inner ends of the front operating members are pivotablyinterconnected with the front slidable engagement arrangement; and anextendible and retractable actuator arrangement interconnected with thedrawbar and with one of the front and rear slidable engagementarrangements, wherein extension of the extendible and retractableactuator arrangement is operable to move the front and rear slidableengagement arrangements apart so as to move the inner ends of the frontand rear operating members apart and to move the outer ends of the frontand rear operating members inwardly, to place the rake arms in aninoperative closed position, and wherein retraction of the extendibleand retractable actuator arrangement is operable to move the front andrear slidable engagement arrangements together so as to move the innerends of the front and rear operating members together and to move theouter ends of the front and rear operating members outwardly, to placethe rake arms in an operative open position; wherein one of the slidableengagement arrangements comprises a telescoping section of the drawbarthat moves inwardly and outwardly relative to a receiver portion of thedrawbar, wherein the telescoping section of the drawbar functions toshorten the overall length of the drawbar when the rake arms are in theoperative open position.
 13. The improvement of claim 12, whereinanother of the slidable engagement arrangements comprises a slidermember which is slidably mounted to the drawbar.
 14. The improvement ofclaim 13, wherein the telescoping section of the drawbar comprises aforward drawbar portion that extends forwardly from a fixed lengthreceiver portion which in turn is interconnected with the rear trolleyarrangement.
 15. In a rake assembly having a wheeled trolley, a pair ofrake arms pivotably mounted to the trolley for movement between an openposition and a closed position, wherein each rake arm carries a seriesof rake members, and a drawbar extending forwardly from the trolleybetween the rake arms, wherein the drawbar extends along a longitudinalaxis, the improvement comprising a splitter rake assembly interconnectedwith the drawbar, wherein the splitter rake assembly includes a framemember extending forwardly from the drawbar, wherein the frame member isinterposed between a forward end defined by the drawbar and a towvehicle adapted to pull the rake assembly, and a pair of splitter rakemembers mounted to the frame member, wherein the splitter rake membersare constructed and arranged to engage the ground and direct cropmaterial on the ground in opposite directions during movement of therake assembly along the ground, wherein the frame member includes afront splitter rake mounting portion extending at an angle relative tothe drawbar longitudinal axis and a rear splitter rake mounting portionextending at an angle relative to the drawbar longitudinal axis and thefront splitter rake mounting portion, wherein a splitter rake member ismounted to each of the splitter rake mounting portions of the framemember.
 16. The improvement of claim 15, wherein the splitter rakeassembly is releasably engageable with the drawbar.
 17. The improvementof claim 15, wherein the splitter rake assembly frame member comprisesforward and rearward angled offset frame members and an intermediateframe member therebetween, wherein one of the splitter rake members ismounted to the intermediate frame member and another of the splitterrake members is mounted to one of the forward and rearward offset framemembers.
 18. The improvement of claim 15, wherein the splitter rakeassembly frame member includes a front section for connection to the towvehicle and a rear section for connection to the drawbar, wherein thefront and rear sections extend along coincident longitudinal axes thatare parallel to the drawbar longitudinal axis, and wherein the frontsplitter rake mounting portion and the rear splitter rake mountingportion are located between the front and rear sections of the splitterrake assembly frame member.